This invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and, more specifically, to connectors having latches for engagement with mating connectors.
To prevent unintended separation of electrical connectors in use, some known electrical connectors include housings having deflectable latches which provide locking engagement to mating connector housings. Other electrical connectors include alignment features, such as keying surfaces, which guide a user in mating one connector to another and ensure that the mating connectors are properly engaged to one another. The alignment features allow mating of the connectors in only one orientation of the connectors relative to one another, and physically prevent mating of the connectors in other orientations. Such latching and alignment features are sometimes used in combination to achieve and maintain proper engagement of mating connectors in an electrical system.
While known latching and alignment features in known connectors have achieved some success in realizing and maintaining proper electrical engagement of connectors, in certain applications the latching and alignment features can become an impediment to effective use of the connector. For example, in panel mount connectors the latching and alignment features tend to undesirably increase the physical size of the connector. Because of the latching and alignment features, the connector thereby occupies a greater area, sometimes referred to as a footprint, on the panel. The latching and alignment features also tend to increase the bulk of the connector and can interfere with the installation of the connector to a panel. Still further, the latching and alignment features tend to result in uneven wall thickness in the housing of one or both of the mating connectors. The uneven wall thickness can compromise the structural strength of the connector, especially when the connectors are subject to large insertion forces when mated together.